


Lich

by AlexBarton



Series: Adventures in Karamore: The Cardinal Locks [10]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Karamore - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Karamore, Necromancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27382066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexBarton/pseuds/AlexBarton
Summary: Kaspar gives Dorian some information that changes his views on Necromancy, if only slightly.Karamore was created by the amazingly talented CaptainMorgan.Based on our D&D escapades.
Series: Adventures in Karamore: The Cardinal Locks [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1488608





	Lich

Kis and Elijah are scouting ahead as they make their way back to the Slough of Despair. Kaide is cradling Malamail’s body, mindful of the man’s missing arm.

With their cleric not present, Dorian raises his hand to transfer some of his life force to heal Malamail. Kaspar notices the purple energy flickering up and down his arm and steps forward, placing a hand on Dorian’s chest, eyes narrowed.

“What are you doing?”

Dorian gestures to the unconscious man behind them. “I’m going to heal him as much as I can.”

“You’re not a cleric,” the wizard says pointedly, eyeing Dorian’s hand.

Dorian flicks his eyes over to Kaide momentarily, then meets Kaspar’s gaze. 

“You know the back room of your bookshop?” Dorian waits until he has Kaspar’s understanding, “Perhaps we should chat about that later.”

There’s a tense moment between the two men, but then Kaspar pulls back and allows Dorian to complete his spell. Malamail looks better and his breathing comes easier.

“That doesn’t look like when Elijah heals,” Kaide remarks.

“Yes, well, wizard healing is different from cleric healing,” Dorian replies. He can see Kaspar rolling his eyes, but the other wizard doesn’t make any other comment about the matter.

They rejoin the rest of the group to see a dripping wet padlock on the gate leading out of the crypt, preventing them from leaving.

* * *

Back in Bal’Moral, they get a room at the Blind Giant, electing to stay above ground and together for the time being. Kaide goes outside to enjoy the rain storm, and Kis pulls Elijah out to go drink with Captain Fox’s crew. Dorian stays behind with Kaspar, helping him tend to Malamail’s wounds.

After casting Alarm on the door to alert him if any of his other teammates return, Dorian turns to Kaspar. “I suppose we should talk.”

The other wizard looks at him briefly, but continues to clean and bandage his ex-boyfriend.

Dorian takes a deep breath. _Well. Just get it over with. He already knows_. “I’m a necromancer,” he says bluntly.

Kaspar doesn’t even look up. “I have an entire shelf of banned books. Magic is magic, it’s meant to be studied.”

“Elijah doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. Kis does know, and Kaide... well she doesn’t really understand magic enough to pick up on it I don’t think.”

“How much do you know about necromancy?”

Dorian pauses, thrown by the question. “Um. Not much. It’s kind of hard to find materials to study.”

“I’ve got a few books you can look through, back at the shop.”

“Oh well, thank you-”

“Do you know how necromancy ends?” Kaspar cuts him off.

“Uh. No?”

Kaspar looks up and stares Dorian dead in the eyes. “If the caster goes too far, they become a lich.”

Dorian’s blood runs cold. _No_.

In the silence of the pause, Kaspar turns his attention back to Malamail.

_That must be what Sorrice was referring to when he said he’d put me down._

“How... how would one know if they go too far?”

“How do you know you haven’t yet?”

Dorian pauses again, mind racing. _How would he know? Maybe he was already too far down the path. But. Sorrice hasn’t done anything yet, so perhaps it’s not too late._

“I... I haven’t. I don’t use it that often.”

There’s another tense silence, followed by Dorian muttering, “It doesn’t matter. It runs in my blood.”

Kaspar pauses in what he’s doing, then resumes applying bandages. “What does that mean?”

“I... the reason I left Portcost. I’m... my father is from Baeris, and he still has family there.”

That catches Kaspar’s attention, and the wizard stops what he’s doing completely and looks at Dorian. “Go on.”

“I found out by accident. My father was not pleased that I wasn’t going to settle down with a woman and have an heir and continue the family legacy and all that that entailed. He wrote to his cousin on Baeris, and he asked him to perform a necromancy ritual on me that would change my memories, change me. He was away, whether it was for business as he said or to go to Baeris to meet with his cousin I don’t know. But I found a copy of the Forbidden Rites in his study and the correspondence between him and his cousin and I tripped a spell and I-” 

Dorian pauses here, staring into the distance remembering the helpless feeling of paralysis as the ropes bound him and then the burn of the flames that scarred his skin and freed him.

He shakes his head and continues, “I managed to escape and here I am. But maybe, maybe this is who I am. Maybe I’m fated to become _that_.”

Kaspar hasn’t looked away as he spoke, but when he finishes, the wizard looks down at his hands. “I don’t know Dorian. I’ll do some research, see if there’s a way to reverse it or slow it down, look into the phylacteries or something.”

“Thank you Kaspar.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want more info on Karamore, go check out our campaign Tumblr:  
> karamore-aesthetic.tumblr.com


End file.
